No Laughing Matter
by Emerald Grey 01
Summary: "Well looky here! Guess what the bat dragged in, Harley. Guess!" several bodies were scattered around on the floor. One by one, their heads rose. From the shadows, a figure could be seen. His form was shaking with what appeared to be laughter. Somewhere above the figure, a light clicked on. The teens could now make out a ghostly pale face, green hair, and a blood red smile. *High T
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! I know that I should work on updating Sleep, but I couldn't resist the urge to write this down. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice *wallows in self pity***

 **~oOo~**

Prologue of: No Laughing Matter

Location Unknown

Time and Date Unknown

"Well looky here! Guess what the bat dragged in, Harley. Guess!" several bodies were scattered around on the floor. One by one, their heads rose. From the shadows, a figure could be seen. His form was shaking with what appeared to be laughter. Somewhere above the figure, a light clicked on. The teens could now make out a ghostly pale face, green hair, and a blood red smile. One of them screamed, another started to struggle with their bonds, the rest glared bitterly at the man in purple.

"Oh! I know! It's the justice brats!" Harley Quinn appeared next to the Joker, her trademark jester suit donned and her blonde pigtails bobbed up and down as she bounced on her heels.

"I haven't seen Boy Blunder and his team in a while, so I decided to pay a little visit! It's been quite a while since Ol' Uncle J visited his kiddies." He stopped in front of Robin and grinned at the boy. "How's Daddy Bats, Bird-boy?" He only received a glare in return.

"I do hope you feel at home. I took the liberty to have Harley clean for visitors." He gestured to the empty room. The walls were bare and made of concrete, the floors were made of the same material. A single door was on the far side of the room, making the small space feel even more cramped.

"What do you want?" Robin finally broke the silence. His voice held a slight waver in it. He knew the Joker's style, from years of fighting alongside his mentor, and he was positive that his team wasn't kidnaped for just a visit, as was previously claimed.

"What? I can't pay a visit to my favorite team of brats?" He glanced at the said team. "Okay, okay, you caught me." He held his hands up in mock surrender.

"It's been a little boring around these parts, seeing as you've been locking up my usual playmates. Because of that, I decided that since you're the ones ruining my fun, then you will be the ones who make up for it. You'll take their spots! Or rather, take their _victims_ , who would give up a chance to make The Batman break character? See what's _really_ under that cowl, you know what I mean?" A bout of laughter followed. He flung his arms out and waved Harley Quinn over.

"Do be a dear and knock them out, Harley. It took forever to get them here and I can't have them escaping now, can I?"

"Sir, yes sir, Mistah J!" Her shrill voice made the team flinch. The Joker smiled and turned on his heel.

"You can have a little fun with them as well, Harley." His laugh echoed around the bare room as he left. Harley Quinn turned back to them after the door slammed shut. "You heard the man! Who's ready to have some fun?" She grinned maliciously and held up her mallet.


	2. Going to the Circus

***OMG OMGOMGOMGOMG! YOUNG JUSTICE MIGHT BE RENEWED! WATCH IT ON NETFLIX PEEPS! DOOOO ITTTT!**

 **Okay! I got a LOT of positive feedback on my little teaser prologue (A lot to me at least) and I have been working hard to get this made. Why was it so hard? I had to (sort of) learn how time zones work. My family travels a lot and I know that we have to gain and lose hours when entering different time zones and I wanted to make this story as realistic as it can possibly get seeing as it's about super powered teens. I also had to calculate how fast the bio-ship would go which was not easy. I ended up just doubling a regular plane's speed. I hope you guys like it!**

 **Disclaimer? Disclaimer. I do not own young justice or any of the DC characters i may or may not mention. I also don't own Starbucks and probably won't in the foreseeable future.**

* * *

Chapter 1 of - No Laughing Matter:

Going to the Circus

Mount Justice

July 6, 13:03 EDT

It hadn't _really_ started out as a simple mission. But they were optimistic for a bunch of teens. At least, as optimistic as teens will get. You have to remember their occupation. They were fine with a little action, seeing as the past few days had been rather quiet... Of course, all missions that go wrong always start off right, don't they? Anyway, the team was called in for a briefing. Batman gave a 15 minute notice so by the time it took everyone to arrive at the cave, both Batman, Red Tornado, and Black Canary were waiting in the training room waiting. A holographic screen was blown up from where Batman was typing on a keyboard (also holographic) and several mugshots appeared on it along with a few satellite images of what appeared to be a warehouse near a docking bay.

"There were some anonymous tips that a shipment of chemicals is being targeted by multiple agents. The chemicals are extremely dangerous, especially if any of them are mixed. They could possibly create _deadly_ toxins if any of them are to escape their containers." He glanced back at the team as if to put extra emphasis on the deadly part.

Black Canary stepped forward. "We cannot risk the possibility of a bioweapon. You will infiltrate the location and survey the layout. If you spot something out of the ordinary, you _will_ call in the league."

Batman spoke again. "The location of your mission is in Coast City. You will need your stealth suits and you will try to _not_ engage in combat." Another pause and pointed glare. "We have multiple sources that confirm the league of Shadows is going to try to take the containers as well as other lesser threats such as local gangs." He pointed at the several mugshots on the screen.

"Isn't Coast City normally the Green Lantern's home turf?" Robin stepped forward, his head tilted to the side. You could _feel_ the puppy dog stare that he directed at _Batman_. His mentor glanced at him before pulling up some more files, seeming to be debating with himself if he should tell the team or not. With a quiet sigh he continued.

"Green Lantern is currently on Oa, taking care of some responsibilities he has with the Corps. You will take care of the shipment while a reserve member of the league will take care of the city." He turned from the screen to face the teens. "I expect you to take the bioship and be there within the hour." He silently left the room, his black cape sweeping out behind him.

The team was silent as their other mentors left the room. Kid Flash and Robin were roughhousing with each other while Artemis watched with a glare. M'gann floated slightly with a sweet expression by Superboy's side and Kaldur was in deep thought next to them. One by one, they switched their costumes to stealth and left for the bioship.

"M'gann, set up a link." Kaldur'ahm took control as he left his mind. Whatever was troubling him was far gone (or just pushed back really _really_ far).

"On it Kaldur." Her eyes glowed green for a second, then flickered back to their normal Hazel. " _Link established."_

" _Good. Thank you Miss Martian."_

" _No problem Aqualad! Is everyone linked up?"_

" _Yep."_ (From a little red birdy)

" _You know it babe."_ A flirtatious smile and wave followed. While efficiently reaching through to the Martian, it reached to other members of the team, including a broody blonde archer that gave Wally a cuff to the head. " _Hey! Careful with the merchandise!_ You _break,_ you _buy_." The redhead glared at the offending archer.

" _God. The only thing I hate about the mental link is having to hear your annoying voice, Baywatch. I'm here Megan."_

" _Kid Flash, Artemis, let us not dispute with each other before a mission. We must be prepared to face the enemy."_ Kaldur's deep voice instantly quieted the two arguing.

" _Here."_ (That came from a very angsty super-clone) They took their seats and the resident martian (and ship's pilot) guided the bioship out of the hangar doors.

" _Let's do this!"_

* * *

Somewhere over the Midwest (Roughly Missouri)

July 6th, *13:28 CDT

The flight was rather normal, with Miss Martian joyfully pointing out cities along the way, the archer and speedster bantering, Robin typing on his wrist holo computer, and Superboy angstily glaring out the window. Kaldur remained silent and stoic, but had a glimmer of amusement in his eyes as he watched his team.

"Riiight. Because you _totally_ beat me at-"

"Yeah! I kinda did! What else would you call the blinking screen saying WINNER on it?"

"A delusion? That screen didn't even appear! We had to pause the game!"

Robin suddenly turned off his screen and turned in his seat to face the bickering duo. "How about you guys have a contest to find the true winner?" The bioship went quiet.

"We're listening."

"The person with the most knockouts by the time the mission is over, wins the game." Robin smirked and folded his hands behind his head, reclining in his seat. The two regarded him with thoughtful expressions before nodding at each other.

"Deal." The two warily shook hands before immediately turning away and grumbling.

"I'm so going to win this."

"No way! I am!"

A collective groan rose from the other team members.

* * *

Coast City Docks

July 6, 12:44 PST

"We're here!" The Bioship released it's hold on it's passengers as it was set down. The ship instantly went into camouflaged mode as it set down on top of a parking garage.

"Hey! It's only like, noon, here because of time zones which means-"

"Really Wally? I swear all you think about is food." A sheepish grin split over the redheaded speedster's face when the Archer glared at him.

"He _does_ have a point though. None of us, except Wally, have eaten in 4 hours." The speedster's best friend was quick to defend him.

"Well I'll have you know that Unc- _Flash_ and I come here to see GL all the time, therefore I know multiple amazing restaurants and diners we can go to." Wally crossed his arms in front of his chest and took up a proud stance.

"They are kind of right, Aqualad. Maybe we can dress in our civvies and stakeout the place. Maybe watch for any suspicious activity?" The Martian hovered slightly off the ground in excitement.

"I... Very Well. You must dress in your civilian clothing if you wish to partake in this _stakeout._ " A round of cheers rang out from the ships' bridge. The team, mainly Wally, Robin, and M'gann, suited up (well, suited _down_ really) rather quickly, with the exception of Artemis who was deliberately taking as much time as she wanted just to mess with the eager flash.

They finally were ready to head out, with Wally taking the lead. "We've got Chinese, Italian, Japanese, _of course, seafood_ , I think there's a really good Jewish delicatessen down that way, A few Indian places down the other way, and a new shawarma joint just opened up on the next block. There's also quite the variety of dessert shops on Pine Street and there's this one on ***Gotlib** that's _amazing-_ " The rest of the team followed him out of the ship (which Miss Martian turned into a inconspicuous red and black minivan) and to the busy market place, him rambling on about various shops and restaurants. The street was filled with chatter, street vendors calling out the prices of fresh fish, tourists chatting to each other, and pedestrians talking on their cell phones.

The air smelled salty and fishy, but there was a sweeter scent that lingered underneath all of the overwhelming smells of the market. It was probably coming from the large bakery that took up almost an entire block. It was no surprise, to those that knew her, that M'gann was instantly drawn to the sweet shop, but it could definitely be considered strange that the team's resident archer barreled through groups of pedestrians and even ran over a few tourists (including some kids) to get to the quickly growing line that emerged from the bakery. The team followed the path of destruction caused by the archer, laughing the entire way.

"I didn't take you for a sweets kind of person Artemis. Thought that you would've gone for those booths selling raw fish, seeing as that's typically what harpies go for." Wally was quickly shut up by a blow to the juncture between his shoulder and collarbone, a hit given by the hangry archer. "Oww _www,_ " was the only reply given due to the fact that her fist was hovering rather close to his bicep and he _already_ had _multiple_ bruises _all over his arms_ from the ride over, and they were _almost done_ healing and he did _not_ need anymore.

"If I'm going to be dragged _all over_ this place on a food vacation by _you_ , I'm going to at least get something for _myself_. Besides, they have brioche. I love brioche." The speedster only nodded and watched the hovering fist with fearful eyes. So what? He bruised very easily and Artemis hit pretty hard (They just worked that way, him pushing her over the edge and her punching him in retaliation).

They (mainly Artemis) waited in line for 20 minutes, a rather impressive feat by the staff due to the sheer amount of people in line before them. In the time it took them to get to the front of the line, Wally had already left three times to look around the market, Robin had left twice to scout out the perimeter (they all knew he was getting Starbucks on the second trip), and M'gann and Superboy took off for a cute little cafe they (read: _M'gann_ ) had spotted on the way to the had also left, going back to the bioship/car due to the heat (The Atlantean was in a turtle neck to hide his tattoos, [he already put make-up over his gills] something he had insisted upon even though the team told him that they were perfectly normal outside of a school setting, so he was entitled to wanting to return to an air conditioned space). Eventually it boiled down to Wally and Artemis standing in silence while waiting for their turn. At least, it _was_ silent until Wally started talking to her.

"What is a brioche?"

"A type of french bread. Kind of like a bun. Stop talking."

"What is a creepy? It has some weird french thingy over the e."

"Crêpe, Wally. It's pronounced crêpe. It's kind of like a pancake. Stop talking."

"What is a Clafoutis?"

"It's a fruit desert with lot's of butter. You'd like it. Stop talking."

"What is-"

"I swear to God, Wally, if you don't stop talking I will hurt you."

"...How do you know all of these desserts?"

"That's IT! All I wanted was for you to-"

"Next!" With all of their arguing, the pair hadn't noticed that the line in front of them had dwindled down and that it was their turn.

"Hurry up!" A burly man behind them was getting impatient. Artemis sighed and pulled Wally up to the register. Artemis opened her mouth to order but the cashier looked past her.

"Hi Wally! The usual for you?" Artemis' eyes grew wide as she looked at the speedster and the cashier that seemed to know him.

"Yep. double this time though. four crêpe's and two brioche. Oh! and I want to try out a fruit tart. Maybe... Peach? Thanks Laurel." He had a stupidly cheeky grin on his face as _Laurel_ put in his order. He handed her the money and guided a dumbstruck Artemis to the pick up line.

"What?" Her brain was still behind on the events and was struggling to connect the dots.

"I come here every Friday afternoon before I go to the cave. See the sights, meet up with Uncle Hal. They have really great bread here. I'd suggest the raisin cinnamon if you ever come back." That cheeky grin still hasn't left his face yet.

"But... But you asked me?" She was still struggling.

"I was messing with you. You mentioned that you wanted brioche and I wanted to know how you knew what it was. I guess you're into France, huh? Did you seriously think that I, a food obsessed _runner,_ (he slyly hinted at the speedster part) wouldn't know what a freaking crêpe was?" He laughed when she shook her head. "If it makes you feel any better, I _was_ able to trick Rob in the same manner. Granted, it was back when he was like, 11, but still." She punched him. _Hard_.

* * *

Coast City Docks

July 6, 13:29 PST

The team met back up in a nice little diner that was 50's style. It was right above the docks, sitting in a shelf like area with three flights of stairs leading up to it. It was also covered with gigantic windows that overlooked the entire wharf, including the warehouse they were scouting. It was the _perfect_ place to scout the area. M'gann and Conner were sitting on the booth side with Kaldur while Robin was siting in a red seat. They all had milkshakes (Well, Kaldur had a glass of water, but still) and were talking about their experiences on the town when a sulking Wally and a livid Artemis arrived. "What took you guys so long? Wally texted me that you guys got your orders like, 20 minutes ago."

"Wally told you that, did he? Well, _he_ was the reason we were so late. He got sidetracked by vendors three times, took pictures for tourists and gave me the wrong directions to this place. Not to mention the three flights of stairs we had to climb to get up here. I'm an archer. I have upper body strength. _Not_ lower body strength." Artemis was seething. Most of her hair was out of it's usual ponytail and _were those leaves_? She had her brown half jacket wrapped around her waist and her tank top had some dirt on it. Wally wasn't nearly as dirty, but his arms were littered with Artemis fist-sized bruises. Though, most of them were rapidly healing as they walked over to their friends. His usual cargo shirt was missing and his white shirt had a little bit of dirt as well. His hair wasn't nearly as messed up as Artemis' but it did look rather unkempt. The speedster looked rather annoyed.

"A, I offered to carry you after you fell down a flight and almost took me out too, and B, from the way that you kicked me after I stopped to buy some fruit, I wouldn't exactly say you don't have any lower body strength." He shook his head and dragged a hand through his hair as he sat down next to Robin. Artemis glared at the empty seat, the only one available was next to the bane of her existence, but took it nonetheless.

"As amusing as the story you guys probably have is, we need to get to work." Robin adjusted his shades and leaned forward. "I did some research while I was looking around and-"

"You mean buying yourself some Starbucks."

"Yes, _thank you_ Wally. While I was buying Starbucks," A pointed glare directed at the smirking speedster. "I did some research on the area and possible... _Groups_ interested in the _items_." The team dropped their playful air and the tension grew. Each member, including the cheery Martian and the jovial speedster, adopted serious expressions. "So far, we got Bane and his cronies, Scarecrow, Kobra, and a slim chance of an off world threat."

"Those are villains who have connections with gas and bio-weapons, right? So is there any chance of _him_?" The speedster tried to make eye contact with his best friend, but Robin averted his eyes.

"Nah man. He doesn't go for this kind of stuff. Makes his own gas. Not to mention he's still in Arkham." Robin clenched his jaw.

"And how many times has he broken out of that hell hole? Come on Rob, we can't rule him out and you know it." Robin clenched his fist and glared at the table. "I know you aren't scared of him dude, but you act like this every time you leave B and know you'll have to face him."

"Wally, please drop the subject." Kaldur intervened. Wally looked like he wanted to say more but a glare from Artemis silenced him.

"Fine. So what's the game plan?"

"It's going down like this,"

* * *

Coast City Docks

July 6, 22:59 PST

 _"Perimeter check."_ Kaldur's steady voice drifted through the link.

 _"Perimeter is clear. No one in sight. Artemis and I are heading back in to switch with Robin and Superboy. Anything from your end Kid Flash?"_

 _"Nah. Kaldur and I have already checked the inside. He's checking the east end and I'm checking the west. The warehouse is pretty big. Nothing on the heat scan- Wait. I've got something. Low heat sigs but there's definitely something there. I'm thinking they've either checked out mentally or they just now left. I'm heading to go see if there's anything there."_

 _"Be careful Baywatch. I've got a bad feeling about this."_ Artemis and M'gann met up with Robin and Superboy and switched guards. The archer and the Martian headed for the building doors while the acrobat and the Kryptonian left for the surrounding fence.

 _"Guys I feel like something weird is happening. I think I need backup."_ In this buisness a gut feeling was enough to go off of. Robin and Superboy doubled back from perimeter and quickly made for the west wing.

 _"Talk to me KF. I need you to be my eyes."_

 _"Rob? someone is here. They entered through a window up high. Possibly came off of the roof. There's something near the window. Some sort of crow bar or something that the perp used to get in."_

 _"I'm coming. Just hold tight, okay?"_

 _"..."_

 _"KF?"_

 _"..."_

 _"Robin! He's been cut from the link! I can't sense him!"_ Miss Martian's panicky voice tore through everyone's mind as they realized what had happened to their own. Robin's eyes widened almost comically large, if it weren't for the present situation it would be amusing, and he shot off like a bullet for where Wally had last been located. Superboy was close behind him.

 _"Dammit! He was just here!"_ Robin punched the wall nearest to him and sank to the ground. Superboy tentatively raised an arm, not knowing what to do for the upset boy. He walked closer and was about to put his arm around Robin when he saw that the Boy Wonder wasn't crying or having a breakdown, but analyzing the boot print that was made in the dust. _'Oh'_ , the clone thought. _'That makes more sense.'_

Robin stood up once the scan was complete. _"Size 9 mens which is the average shoe size in the US. That rules out Bane. Only one set so it also rules out Kobra. We're down to Scarecrow and possibly League of Shadows. Weight distribution indicates a 5'8" height give or take an inch, and a build with a roughly 140-150 weight. This almost guarantees Scarecrow. I just don't get why he took Wally. Scarecrow always leaves his victims behind, Wally should still be here."_

 _"Robin! Kaldur is gone from the link! Artemis and I are going to try and find him!"_

 _"Be careful M'gann."_ Robin turned around. "I think we need to head to where the girls are-?" His comment was met by silence. Conner was gone.

 _"M'gann? Artemis? Conner's gone too!"_

 _"M'gann?"_

He didn't have time to react to the silent link before everything went black and he heard laughter.

 _'Wally was right. It's_ them _.'_

* * *

 **Hello! I'm gonna explain some stuff now.**

 **1\. I'm SO SORRY! High school has been really tough on my butt lately and I'm a part of a LOT of stuff including softball and NAHS and more. I updated because my birthday was yesterday *woot woot* and I asked myself, what would you want? an update on a story that left off with a cliffhanger. SO I GAVE IT TO YOU GUYS! That is, if you want this story... SO merry unbirthday to you? (I love Lewis Carroll btw if u can see the reference)**

 **3\. I HAAAATE TIME ZONES! They make me want to punch a wall (Kind of like what robin did XD)**

 **2\. Gotlib St.? It's from my new obsession... Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. The main character is french and lives in a bakery so I couldn't resist ;3**

 **4\. CLIFFFHANGARRRRRR! I seriously couldn't resist :3**

 **5\. This was a very intense chapter to write and my computer crashed twice during it so you can blame that for the slow updates. Sometimes I just need to sit down and write it all. That was basically what I did today. Sorry about the filler scenes and all that. It kinda took away from the action scenes but you can count on more action for the next chapter so yay!**

 **6\. Mail BAG!**

-Josulimin

Great start (yes! Wally!), I can't wait to see where you go with this!

 **I'm blushing :D I have many plans for Wally and the gang**

-bowddots

I love the way you captured the essence of the Joker, and Harley. Truly great! I can already tell this will be a story I will love, and I absolutely cannot wait for more.

\- O.O

 **OMG THANK YOU I DIDN'T KNOW if I portrayed them right and I'm glad you like it!**

 **-** AKLNxStories

Ooh this story looks good hope you update soon!

 **I was a little bit late on the update (more like extremely late) BUt I hope you like this!  
**

-Guest

UPDATE FEED

 **Here ya go!  
**

-Guest of honor

I love it. And bring daddy bats later on so we can see daddy bats in action. Update soon.

 **Daddy bats will definitely occur so you can count on it ;)**

-Willy

Can't wait for more!

 **Awh thank you! Hope this chapter floats ur boat :)**

 **7.) I DID 4,000 WORDS! (I mean the story is only like 3,500 but meh)**

 **8.) Stay awesome and be SAFE! Spring break is here and make smart decisions!**

 **~ Emerald Grey 01**


	3. What Will They Find?

**Hiiiii... :3**

 **You guys really liked that last chapter... I got over 4 comments and my ratings SKYROCKETED. I didn't know you guys liked this kind of story so much. Then again, the Joker can bring out a lot of character development sooo I don't blame you guys. I decided to pick up where the prolouge left off, so this is basically after Harley did her thing and they've been moved. I didn't really make it clear, (like at ALL) but the first room was in the warehouse. It was basically a store room that they were well, stored in. This next room is gonna be at the hideout. Where is the hideout? I dunno. Probably not in Gotham cause the good ol Joker does not need daddy bats to beat him up. Or maybe it _is_ in Gotham. Hiding in plain sight, right? Either way, I hope you guys like this chapter :) **

**(Sidenote: I really need to write some fluffy stories to make up for all of these scary fics...)**

 **Disclaimer: I DoN't OwN YoUnG jUsTiCe. Just the plot! BUT IT MIGHT COME BACK SO WATCH IT ON NETFLIX PEEPS**

* * *

Chapter 2 of - No Laughing Matter:

What Will They Find?

The Watchtower

July 7, 03:21 EDT

A dark shadow whisked down the hallway of the Justice League's Watchtower. Other minor members of the league and the civilian workers darted out of it's path, all sharing a similar look of fear and awe. The shadow payed no heed to the scattering people, only increased it's pace.

The dark being finally slowed it's momentum and halted at a rather large metal door. A retina scanner as well as a finger print scan and a voice activated command system outfitted the door.

"Scan: Batman. Code Alpha-Alpha-Black. Priority Red." Batman stood tall as he was scanned. His face was a blank mask, giving nothing away as it was bathed in an eerie blue light.

"Recogonized Batman 02. Code Alpha-Alpha-Black. Priority Red. Access Granted." The robotic voice greeted him and activated the door. With a whoosh, the metal slab slid open and Batman entered.

The room within was rather grand. Big windows, very eloquently showcasing the view of Earth, covered two sides of the room. The other two walls were made of metal and rock. Multiple screens covered the rock and metal, each TV showing a different feed. In the middle of the large hall sat a long table, the seven founding members and a few later members, such as Hawkwoman and John Stewart, sat around the table. Everyone was whispering to their neighbor and buzzing with pent up energy.

"Bats? It's almost three thirty in the morning! Where's my nephew? Is this about the kids? Iris called me around three saying Wally hadn't gotten home yet. Are they okay? Pleasetellmethey'reokay!" The Flash, Barry Allen, jumped from his seat and was in Batman's face faster than anyone had realized he was there. Barry was vibrating back and forth in a panic. "Pleasepleasepleasetellmethey'reokay!"

"Flash. Sit down. We are here to discuss the important matter of our partners' locations but I can not do so with you hounding me." Flash slighlty wilted and returned to his seat within the blink of an eye.

"Carry on B-man."

"As I was saying, I have called this meeting to discuss the whereabouts of the secret ops team that is compromised of several of the leagues partners." The buzzing stopped as the other members went quiet. "Last night at around 23 hundred hours, the team's radios went silent. This mission was not a radio silence mission. Before the team went quiet, Robin was able to send me several notes on the suspect _s_. I received a scan of a footprint as well as a small recording detailing the moments before his capture."

"So where are they?"

"That... Is the problem. Robin's recording was quick and to the point. I was unable to discern the shadows into a specific suspect, until the end but... It was rather _obvious_ who took the kids nevertheless."

"Who!?" A collective clamor rose from the gathered group of superheroes.

"I should let you all see for yourself." Batman quickly typed a few things on his wrist-gauntlet-holo-screen. The video popped up on all of the monitors. It was a black screen, but you could see even darker shapes in the background. Robin's breathing was rather heavy as he turned to face his attackers. "HAHAHA!" The unmistakable laugh of The Joker filtered through the speakers and the league gasped. They watched as Robin dropped to his knees, and then as he passed out. Harley Quinn's laugh could be heard as well, along with the sound of her mallet thumping against the ground. She must have knocked Robin unconscious. A light clicked on overhead, but the Joker was no where to be seen.

All of a sudden, the camera was turned upward and the clown's ugly pale face was in view. "Hello Bats! Guess who? I'll see _you_ soon! HAHAHA!" The feed went dark. The League went silent as well.

Slowly, the Flash stood up and looked at Batman. His shoulders were shaking as were his hands.

" _Bruce,"_ His voice cracked with emotion. " _Please_ tell me he doesn't have my kid. Not _again_. Bruce, _tell me_. I-I can't...He can't... Not _again_. He's just a kid. They're all just kids. _Bruce please_." Barry removed his cowl and held his head as he sunk back down to his seat, tears gathering in his eyes as he awaited Batman's answer.

"I'm sorry. Joker has them." Barry broke down sobbing, strangled cries of _'Not again'_ and _'No, please no'_ filled the air. the rest of the League was stunned. A few comforted Flash. Others demanded more answers from Batman. The rest were either silent or talked quietly to the people around them.

Batman let his head drop. He may not show it often, but after two years of seeing those kids on an almost daily basis, he had started seeing them as his own too. He saw them as hiw own in the way that he saw Robin as his own and he felt a need to protect them. Especially from someone like _Joker._ His name sounded even more bitter than usual. They were his kids to protect and he had failed. Right then, he made a promise to himself that he would do almost whatever it took to find those- _his_ kids _._

A satic sounded from the monitors as they suddenly changed channels. "Check, check! Is this thing on? I think so. Hiya Justice League! What's with the moping around?" The face of the Joker appeared on the monitors. "Enough of the crying! Let's have some _fun!_ "

* * *

Unknown Location

July 7, 03:15

They woke up for a second time in a room slightly bigger than their previous holding cell. The one drawback was that it was disgusting. There was dirt everywhere, stale water was in puddles on the floor and dripping from the ceiling. There were three solid stone walls and the fourth was a wall of rusty iron bars. One of the bars was coated in a glowing green substance. From the way it seemed to be affecting the Kryptonian part of Conner's DNA, it was most likely kryptonite paint bought off of some A or B class criminal (ahem, Lex Luthor) that had stores of the green rock in case the Big Blue Boy Scout decided to put them away. Even in the pitch black darkness, they could make out a staircase in the far corner behind the iron bars. The only entrance and the only exit.

Oh, and they were also chained to the wall. The gross, disgusting, mold and mildew covered wall. Each teen had a cuff on their ankle and one on their wrist, except for Wally who had two ankle chains seeing as he could potentially break out. Not likely though, seeing as Harley had dealt some harsh blows with her mallet.

Her idea of fun included smashing a leg of the team's resident speedster, possibly breaking the green clad archers wrist, and slightly bruising the ribs of superman's clone.

"So. Who else is awake? 'Cause right now I'm bored out of my mind and I'm pretty sure if I don't keep my mind off of my leg I'll start screaming or something." Wallace West's voice drifted around the cell, the stone walls causing it to bounce back.

"Seriously, KF? Some of us need our beauty sleep. Not me of course, but-" Dick was interrupted by a bark of laughter to his right. _"_ Shaddup Arty. Not all of us can wave our luxurious mane of Blonde hair as we shoot arrows into the sunset."

"Don't call me Arty, Bird Boy." A snort accompanied her comment. "Oh Shut up, Baywatch. It's bad enough that I'm stuck with you in here. I don't need to be reminded, nor do I need to hear you."

"Well-"

"Please save your retort for later, Kid Flash. We must all currently focus on why we are here and any attempts to escape." Aqualad had finally awoken.

"It's gonna be awhile Kal. You don't just escape from this guy. Trust me. I've tried. He only let's you go when he's done. And he's only done when Batman gets here." Robin said. His voice was growing quiet.

"Look, for now let's just-" Wally was interrupted by the door swinging open and light flooding the room. The team groaned in pain as the bright light made contact with their eyes. They hadn't realized how dark it had been until the light bulbs had been clicked on by someone. The cell was lit up by a dirty yellow light that only further proved how disgusting the cell was.

"Hello kiddies. I see we meet again. Take them away boys." A group of thugs approached the cell, all of them outfitted with glowing green rings that were probably kryptonite. "As you can see, my goons here have some pretty powerful jewelry. Not only can the superbrat not do anything, but if any of you try something, one of your little team mates will regret it. I'm not sure who yet, though. Little speedy is _certainly_ a fun option," Wally groaned and thumped his head down on the pavement. "-But I've already been there and done that. No sense in doing it again. Maybe I'll choose...Green bean! Yeah, I like the sound of that. Any of you kiddies make a move against the boys here, and the martian gets it!" He cackled with glee at the panic that shifted over not only the girl's face, but over the faces of her team mates. "Seems I chose right! HAH!"

No one but Robin had noticed the door in the bars, until it was swinging open and goons were filing in. They unchained each teen one by one, starting with Kaldur. He had a few bruises but nothing too bad. He was picked up roughly and pushed through the doorway, a shock collar clicking into place around his neck. "Just in case," Joker singsonged.

M'gann was next. She also had a few minor bruises and scrapes, but she seemed fine for the most part. She followed after Aqualad and a power inhibitor collar was placed around her neck.

Conner and Artemis were in a relatively similar state. Worse injuries than Kal and Megan, but not nearly as bad as Robin or Wally. Artemis' wrist was bruised darkly and a few shallow cuts ran up her arms. Her hair was a tangled mess. Conner was limping slightly, but there were no visible marks on him. The kryptonite did make him look weaker, though. They weren't given any collars.

All four pairs of eyes rose at Robin and Kid Flash's conditions. Wally's leg looked horrible, blood was leaking everywhere. He was missing both of his boots so the blood trickled down in little streams onto his bare feet. His goggles were cracked and his suit was torn. He tried to get up on his own, but the goons who had unlocked his chains had roughly grabbed him, causing his legs to hit the ground. Specifically, his mangled bloody leg. He didn't cry out, only whimpered and let himself be picked up and tossed over a henchman's shoulder like a rag doll. His bones stuck out awkwardly from his skin. It hadn't even been a full day (Of that Robin was sure, but he didn't know exactly how long. Based on Wally, he'd say three to four hours) and he was already starting to lose weight. _'Well damn. It's going to be a lot worse later if they don't get him some food. Luckily I still had a few high calorie bars in my hidden pockets. That will be enough to keep him awake for a while.'_

Robin was devoid of his utility belt, glove, and boots. He was covered in scrapes, bruises, not to mention some rather deep cuts, and the way the goons manhandled him didn't help. His glare was as strong as ever though. He was also picked up and thrown over a shoulder as they were taken out of the cell. Only Wally was given an inhibitor collar. He sighed heavily when it clicked together on his neck.

They continued up the stairs, KF and Robin being carried, Miss Martian led with a gun to her head, and the rest were marching behind them. Joker skipped happily in the front.

Both Wally and Dick grunted in pain with every step as they bounced. Wally grinned at Artemis who was walking behind him. The corners of her mouth upturned slightly, making a sad smile. Wally mouthed a quick "It's okay", but she shook her head and glared heavily at the wall.

They finally reached the top of the stairs and were lead through another gross hall way. They were deposited in a room slightly bigger and slightly nicer than the one the had been chained in. The major difference with this one was the large metal hooks jutting from the ceiling and the camera set up to the far right. It was tilted to the perfect angle where it could capture the entire room on film. Not a good sign.

When the goons had unhooked their chained legs, they had put handcuffs on instead. They were all hoisted in the air and the chains connecting the handcuffs were hung on the large metal hooks. Even the tallest members, Conner and Kal, were at least a few inches off the ground. Wally swung back and forth, being the idiot that he is, and wiggled his legs as if getting used to the arrangement. He was met with several glares from his team and he grinned sheepishly before slowing down his swinging.

"What's wrong Boy Blunder? You look confused." The Joker's yellow smile was very distracting. And gross. ' _Yuck_ ' Wally thought.

"I don't understand. The boot print I analyzed indicated that Scarecrow was the perp. Why was it not him?" _'He knows why.'_ Wally thought. _'He's trying to buy time. Is it seriously working? Oh thank god. I am never doubting his skills again.'_  
"That was Harley's shoe Bird Brain. She's always had large feet. Bit of a weird thing, but that's not important." _'Awh man. So close.'_

"Oh Harley! Bring in the big TV, would you? I like that one a lot better than the small one."

"Yes, sir Mistah J, sir!" Harley quickly wheeled in a large screen, her pigtails bobbing happily as she bounced on her heels. "One big TV as requested."

"That's all Harley."

"..."

"What?"

"Ah uh... Kinda wanted ta stay... If that's all right with you o' course."

"Fine. You can stay. Just don't get in the way."

"Thank you so MUCH puddin! Ah promise ah won't get in tha way." Her blonde hair waved wildly as she grinned. It was rather disturbing.

"Whatever. Anyway, lets get back to business kiddies. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to call up the Justice League, then I'm going to have some fun. After that I'll decide whether or not I'll keep you any longer. Are you all ready? Let's BEGIN! HAHAHAHA!" He spun on his heel and went over to the camera. He messed with it for a few minutes. Then he kicked it. "Oh come on. I swear this happens every time- SPADE! HEART! Hurry up and fix this. Two goons with tattoos matching the card houses respectively waddled over to the camera. After a few more minutes, the TV monitor clicked on and the Joker grinned and clapped. "Well done. You can leave now. Bye. Go on." He shooed the goons away.

The camera also whirred to life, a red light blinking in one corner of it's lens. "Here we go, kiddies!" He laughed and tapped the camera screen. "Check, check! Is this thing on? I think so. Hiya Justice League! What's with the moping around?" The League appeared on the screen. Wally saw his uncle quickly pull his cowl up with speed, but he didn't miss the tear tracks. Batman looked pissed. So did everyone else in the War Room*.

"Enough of the crying! Let's have some _fun!_ "

"Joker. What do you want this time?" The low voice of Batman sounded through the speakers. It was actually rather scary, but Joker didn't seem phased by it.

"It's not a matter of _what,_ persay. I just want to have some fun, Bats! I thought, what better way than to play with _my_ kiddies? I haven't seen them in so _long_! _especially_ kiddie flash and the baby bird!"

"Stay the hell away from them you _monster_!" Barry was vibrating with rage as he yelled at the monitors.

"Awh well that's not very nice, Flashy. I think your baby will take the fall for that one." He grinned and stepped to the side, showing off the hanging teens.

"W-KID! OH MY GOD HIS-" That came from the Flash.

"ARTEMIS! WHAT IN THE-" Green Arrow.

"KALDUR'AHM! Are you-" Aquaman.

"M'gann! It will be okay-" Martian Manhunter.

"Conner! Just stay calm-" Black Canary.

Several other cries arose from the League as they tried to talk to the kids or cursed the clown.

"Well you guys were certainly vocal! I love it!" He cackled and walked around the team. "I wonder... What would happen if I did-" A throwing knife was suddenly embedded in Kid Flash's stomach. "-THIS!" Wally only groaned. The League screamed for him. "That was for your little outburst earlier, Flashy. And it was certainly amusing. Makes me wonder what will happen if I do something like _that_ to one of the _more liked_ kiddies." He grinned darkly as he saw his words cut like more knives into little Speedy. Using fear gas last time they met did have some perks, even if he had to let that _idiotic_ Crane partake in the fun.

He grinned again and flung two more knives, one landing in Artemis' thigh, the other landing in M'gann's wrist. They weren't as prepared as Wally was (He had had a feeling it was going to be him that got hurt. It always was) and they made a lot of noise. M'gann shrieked, Artemis groaned rather loudly, Joker clapped his hands together and laughed. The League was in a frenzy now. "That _was_ fun. And look! I was right! The almighty Justice League _has_ picked favorites! I mean, I don't blame you. Speedy gets a little annoying after awhile, don't you agree?"

"Shut up, Joker." The low snarl didn't come from the League. It didn't come from anyone he thought it would come from either. He turned on his heel and grinned madly at Robin.

"Well, well, _well_. You're not normally a very vocal participant in my games. Only when it gets more bloody for your little pals. Do I sense a need to protect your little friends?" He walked back over to Wally. "The poor little speedster that couldn't even save himself, let alone his friends. Will he _ever_ be fast enough? _I_ certainly don't think he will. How _cute_ is it that you want to protect him from getting hurt. You obviously know he can't help himself _anyway_. You're _such a good friend_ Boy Blunder." Joker quickly darted his hand up to the knife hilt and twisted it _hard._

" _Hah."_ Wally only let out a small pant.

"I _said_ shut _up_." Robin's glare could easily rival Batman's at this point.

"Well then. I suppose a lesson in manners is up for you. How embarrassing. And in front of guests too. Humph. Well you heard the Bird. I guess I should just shut up. HeheheHahahaHAHAHA!" The red recording light went off.

"Okay little bird. You made me end my fun early. So a punishment is in order. I'm thinking a few more broken bones for Speedy, some very _nice_ kryptonite for the superbrat, maybe a quick trip to the fire room for your other little pals and then you and your other little gadget girl friend can go sit in your cell and think about what you did. After watching some of this first, though. This is _all_ on you Bird Brain. If only you had learned how to keep your mouth shut."

"Harley! Get the goons to come back here." Harley quickly scrambled up from her spot on the floor and ran off. She soon returned with Spade and Heart.

"Yeah, Boss? Whatcha want?" One of the goons said.

"Take the speedster off the hooks. Have some fun and break some bones, I don't really care. after you're done put him, Birdy, and Arrow back in the cell. Harley, you take those two to the fire pit and call some people to take care of the superbrat. Put 'em all together when they're done. I have business to attend to." Joker stalked off and slammed the door behind him.

"Ahm sorry kiddos, but I gotta do what he says or it'll be worse for _me_ later. Come on then." A few of Harley's goons picked up Conner, Megan, and Kaldur and then left. Soon it was just Artemis, Dick, and Wally.

"Sorry KF. Didn't think it would be this bad a punishment."

"S'okay. Woulda happened anyway." He was taken off the hook and slammed into the ground.

* * *

Location Unknown

4:32 July 7

After the goons had broken a few (quite a few more than necessary) bones, they had tossed them all back in the cell.

"Ow, watch it!" Robin was tossed onto the stone floor rather roughly. Artemis was next.

"Yeah! Be careful!"

"Wait! Don't toss-" But it was too late. They threw the speedster in. Sadly they hadn't thrown him at Dick or Artemis. He hit the ground hard and he screamed in pain. The goons filed back out the door and they clicked the light off. They were back to darkness. And they had to set Wally's broken bones before he healed wrong. _'and he needs to eat. Crap.'_ It was like Artemis had read his mind. She shifted onto her hands and knees and crawled in the direction where she had last seen the speedster.

"Where are you at Baywatch?"

"Come on. I know it hurts Walls but you gotta tell us where you are."

"Mphmf..."A triumphant call of 'Found you!' follows and soon both Dick and Artemis are at Wally's side. Okay Wally, I need you to be strong, okay? I have to re-break the bone in your leg, and by the time that's finished I think we might need to break the others." They had neglected to take off the power inhibitor collar so a few random shocks were sent at them when they tried to tug at it. (The power inhibitors prevented what they were programmed to prevent. That and they only prevent the power from being channeled, so not only was Wally's metabolism and healing factor unaffected, but they also acted as if he was constantly using his speed, making him require more energy and food. That was one of the reason's Flashs' hated the collars. That and all speedsters have really bad claustrophobia) Wally grunted his approval and understanding and he tensed.

"No, Wally I need you to relax." Wally whined a high pitched noise. "Artemis?"

"I got it." She slowly carded her hand through his hair, before repeating the process. She also bent down and mumbled calming words into his ear. He finally relaxed his muscles and Dick yanked _hard_. The bone snapped loudly but he disregarded the sickening crunch and continued pushing it into place. Wally's back was arched painfully as he screamed. Artemis tightened her grip and mumbled more forcefully.

He repeated the process at least four more times. Each time Wally not only retained his consciousness, but screamed harder and writhed more. It was all they could do to hold him down. After Dick finished he let out a large breath. He wouldn't have to be the reason Wally was in pain until the next time they met with Joker. Wally was still shaking and crying. Artemis was still murmuring and running her hands through his hair. Dick joined her. They all sat together (Wally was laying down) in relative silence, a few whimpers here and there from Wally, and a few mumbled comforting words followed each whine.

Dick soon remembered he had to get Wally to eat. He slowly sat Wally up, with the help of Artemis. The combined mix of "Come on Walls, you need to eat. I'm serious dude. Come on just-" and "Baywatch don't be like this. You need to eat or it's gonna hurt worse. You know I'm right-" convinced him to eat the calorie bar. He was just so _tired_.

Artemis and Wally soon fell asleep. Dick was left wondering when the others would return. He dreaded that. Dreaded seeing what he had caused to happen to them. If the rest of the time was like this, he didn't know if they would make it.

He really didn't.

And then the door opened.

* * *

 **HI! THIS IS A GIFT CHAPTER AND A PLS DONT KILL ME CHAPTER BC I"M GOING TO NORWAY FOR THE NEXT 3 WEEKS AND MY PARENTS REFUSED TO LET ME BRING MY LAPTOP WITH ME. (LIKE ? WHY?). anyways... It's been a really hard summer bc of a bunch of stuff that's happened. I found out a bunch of things about my friends that really sucks bc I love them all so much and they're going through a lot rn and i've been busy helping them instead of writing, and yeah i love writing, but I'm not gonna put it as priority over that of my friends so... on a happy note, by the time I'm back from travelling, I will have tons of time to work on this. I hope you like this chapter!**

 **MAILBAG TIME**

africaflower77

If you bring DADDBATS in, you've got me! yesssssss

 **I shall certainly do that. Thanks for reviewing!**

bowddots

Yay! I was psyked when I saw that you updated! . I appreciate that you took the time to research about the time zones. I don't think that's something many writers take into consideration when writing, and you wrote it quite well. . But also, if it stresses you out, you shouldn't worry about it that much, haha, it's a minor detail!  
OMFG LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR MY LIFE!  
And the banter between Artemis and Wally is perfect and hopefully will lead to some Spitfire in the future. 3  
Happy Belated Birthday! thanks for giving us a present! Haha!  
Can't wait for more!

-bd

 **IKR! (TO ALL OF THAT REALLY) I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS!**

arian226

Omg harley should be on robin's side with this situation. Hey she's not always the bad guy

 **Tru, tru. I hope her few lines in this chapter gave a little bit insight as to if she's good or not.**

AKLNxStories

YAAAY you updated! I really like this and I can't wait to see what's next hope you update soon :D!

 **Thank you! I hope you like this!**

Guest

DISH ISH AMAZING! iloveitoveitiloveitiloveit(didimentionthatoveot?)

So yeah... In case you couldn't tell... I think it's pretty awesome. :)  
Please do keep writing! I would love to see where this goes! I love how you tie all of the teams personality into the fluff moments! Keep on writing!  
-Best dressed guest

 **Awww thanks! I love team moments :3**

~Emerald Grey


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